The library collection at the Cambridge Centre for Christianity Worldwide is in the process of a significant expansion, thanks to a donation from a well-known mission library.

Earlier this year, the library received over 1300 books from the collection at St. Augustine’s College, the former missionary college of the Anglican Communion in Canterbury. The St. Augustine’s College Foundation was looking for a new home for parts of its collection and thought of the CCCW library as an excellent, active research library that would benefit from the donation.

“Probably two-thirds of this collection is new to us,” says Ruth MacLean, CCCW’s Librarian. “This donation fills in gaps in our collection we wouldn’t otherwise be able to fill.”

It is not a simple matter to integrate such a large donation. Ruth has been organizing volunteers who have been organizing books, checking for duplicates, and preparing them to be catalogued. That final step, of ensuring that each book is correctly added to Cambridge University’s electronic library system is most intensive, but also the most important. By being searchable in the catalogue, the books will be available to students and researchers from across the university.

Jesse Zink, the Centre’s director, teaches a course in the Cambridge Theological Federation on the study of Christian mission. He was particularly pleased to find in the donation a large amount of material relating to debates over mission in the mid-twentieth century.

“These aren’t just arcane matters of history,” he said. “The term missio Dei—so important in current understandings of mission—came into widespread use in the 1950s. It’s important that we understand where it came from so we can understand how it informs our own understanding of mission as we seek to live faithfully to Christ in the 21^st century.”

The St. Augustine’s donation complements CCCW’s existing 7500 volume collection, which has particular strengths in the history, theology, and practice of Christianity in the non-western world, the study of mission, and ecumenism. Researchers are regularly welcomed from around the world.

A 1948 resolution of the Lambeth Conference commended St. Augustine’s College for being “a centre in which people from all parts of the Anglican Communion could meet each other, and in fellowship and guided discussion learn something of the life and ways of the wider Church.”

The CCCW is an ecumenical organization, not bound by a single denomination, but it sees its role in a similar spirit as St. Augustine’s did, making the donation a particularly apt addition to the collection.

The CCCW Archives – “a central part of the architecture of world Christianity.”

A glowing endorsement of the value and significance of the archive papers held at the CCCW was recently given by Derek Peterson, an expert on East African Christianity.

Peterson’s recent book Ethnic Patriotism and the East African Revival: A History of Dissent drew heavily on research he carried out at the Centre, as described in our current ‘Spotlight on the Archive’ feature.

The HMC are delighted to announce that Prof David Ford, Regius Professor of Divinity, University of Cambridge and HMT Ex-Officio Trustee has been awarded The Coventry International Prize for Peace and Reconciliation. Prof. David Ford is Founder and Director of the Cambridge Inter-faith Programme.

Coventry International Prize for Peace and Reconciliation

The Coventry International Prize for Peace and Reconciliation will once again to be awarded next month during a prestigious event at Coventry Cathedral.

The peace prize is an annual accolade that was relaunched in 2010 to commemorate the 70^th anniversary of the Coventry Blitz. It honours initiatives, organisations, individuals or projects that have made an exemplary contribution in the areas of peace, reconciliation and campaigns for social and environmental wellbeing. This year’s prize will be presented to Prof. David Ford, Founder and Director of the Cambridge Inter-faith Programme. After the official award ceremony, Prof. Ford will be facilitating an inter-faith conversation among his colleagues on the role of inter-faith dialogue in global peace building. The conversation will include Senior Rabbi Alexandra Wright (Jewish) at the Liberal Jewish Synagogue, Dr. Aref Ali Nayed (Muslim), Founder and Director of Kalam Research & Media (KRM) and Libyan ambassador to the UAE until July this year, and Jerry White (Christian), a policy adviser on partnerships and learning in relation to post-conflict stabilisation who shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 for his work on banning land mines.

David Porter, Canon for reconciliation at Coventry Cathedral, said:

“I am delighted that Prof. David Ford of the Cambridge Inter-faith Programme is receiving this award, in a world where misunderstanding so easily prevails between religions. We are privileged and excited to welcome such distinguished guests to the city and look forward to listening to their conversation.”

The judging panel is made up of the Lord Mayor, the Bishop of Coventry, the Dean of Coventry Cathedral, and Madeleine Atkins, Vice-Chancellor of Coventry University. Past winners of this prestigious prize include Responding to Conflict, a leading organisation in the field of conflict transformation, and Cord, who work alongside people displaced by violent conflict to rebuilding their lives and communities.

The ceremony will be held on November 14^th, 7pm at Coventry Cathedral and is open to all, no ticket required. The beautiful oak and oxidised brass award being presented on the night was designed by local artist Rachel Sutton, a Coventry University arts graduate.

Notes to editor

More information is available at www.coventrypeaceprize.org.uk

The Bishop of Sherborne, Dr Graham Kings will give two talks on Henry Martyn.

He will also be giving the annual Benson lecture at Truro Cathedral on Saturday 13 Oct 2012, 5.30pm.  The title of the lecture will be, ‘Henry Martyn: Son of Cornwall and Missionary Scholar’. http://www.trurocathedral.org.uk/

Bishop Kings will give the Cambridge sermon, at St John’s College, Cambridge on Sunday 21 Oct 2012, 6.30pm. The title of the sermon is ‘Henry Martyn: Scholar, Missionary and Translator’. http://www.joh.cam.ac.uk/chapel_and_choir

Commerative Evensong for the Bicentenary of Henry Martyn at 6.30pm, Wed 17th October, St John’s College Chapel. http://www.joh.cam.ac.uk/current-service-list